Walmart to undercut the competition with discounted iPhone 5S, 5C

Walmart will be undercutting the competition with regards to the cost of the new iPhone 5S and 5C. The handsets, scheduled to arrive a week from today, will retail for $189 and $79, respectively, for 16GB variants.

This of course represents a $20 discount off the iPhone 5C and a $10 savings on the budget-minded plastic variant. Neither discount is substantial but they are noteworthy regardless as it is extremely rare to find any sort of price break on Apple products. It’s usually retail partners (often Walmart) that offer these kinds of discounts.

In related news, Walmart also launched a smartphone trade-in program for those in the US. The retailer will accept over 100 different smartphones at more than 3,600 retail locations. Examples of trade-in values include $300 for a working, non-damaged iPhone 5, $175 for a Galaxy S III and $52 for a Galaxy S II.

Apple unveiled two new iPhones during a media event earlier this week and while the flagship phone does offer some unique features like an integrated fingerprint reader and a first-of-its-kind 64-bit mobile processor, most critics expected more innovation from Cupertino. As a result, share value in Apple tanked following the announcement from around just shy of $500 per share to $468 and change as of writing.

The new iPhones are available for pre-order right now and will arrive in customers’ hands on September 20.

Walmart throwing 2,700 midnight launch parties for Modern Warfare 3

Walmart will be throwing 2,700 Modern Warfare 3 midnight launch parties at various stores across the nation. Launch parties will include multiplayer tournaments, gifts and additional Call of Duty merchandise up for grabs.

Tournaments at stores in all 50 states will allow gamers to play the highly anticipated first-person shooter hours before the official launch. Tournament rules and prizes were not released and it’s likely that each store could have their own set of rules depending on who is organizing the event.

Gamers who buy the title at Walmart’s midnight launch will also receive a commemorative patch similar to those given out at the Call of Duty XP convention in September. Posters and t-shirts signifying the launch date and Call of Duty Elite will also be made available, although it's unclear if these will be handed out on a first come, first serve basis, given away as tournament prizes or sold separately.

Walmart made a point to advertise their Mega XP promotion in the announcement. By purchasing specially marked packages of Doritos and Mountain Dew, gamers can earn codes redeemable for bonus Double XP time in the game. Mega XP promotional products are only available at Walmart.

Walmart’s Modern Warfare 3 midnight event starts at 8pm local time on November 7. Lines are likely to be long so it’s advised to get their early as supplies of the bonus MW3 patch, posters and t-shirts are limited. The company has posted a PDF with a list of all 2,700 participating stores. With so many locations hosting launch parties, odds are there will be at least one near you.

The only question that remains is, will you be attending a launch party?